BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A California-based news organization is suing more than 20 county clerks across Texas over access to online court records.

Also affected by this lawsuit is Brazos County District Clerk Gabriel Garcia.

The organization Courthouse News filed the lawsuit in July after sending letters to county clerks demanding the right to inspect new civil lawsuits.

Courthouse News says the delay in getting information is hurting their news and their business.

The company states that news is subject to a daily cycle and that the need to wait to request information makes it late or “old news”, comparing it to “stale bread”.

In the past, anyone could visit a website like Brazos County’s Justice Web to find court-related information. Today, those records are still searchable, but you can’t access the details.

When Brazos County restricted online access to its records, it cited privacy concerns because some of those online documents contained personal information such as birth dates and addresses.

Court documents show that the company is requesting the use of a “press review tool” that could provide access to these documents specifically for media outlets using them on the day of filing.

At this point, Dallas and Travis counties have already begun using the screening tool, according to the lawsuit.

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